The San Antonio Spurs have stood tall—no pun intended—and squirmed their way into an 11-4 start. However, outside of an impressive NBA Cup victory over the Rockets in early November, the Spurs haven't exactly conquered the giants. Plus, the Spurs have had the advantage of a good chunk of their games at home. Well, things are about to change.
Over the next few weeks, the Spurs will be tested to see how great they really are. Following Thursday night's battle against the Hawks, the Spurs will hit the road for four straight road contests. This stretch will leave a lasting impact on their ultimate finish and prove how serious this team is.
The Spurs four-game road trip will push them to their limits
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Amidst this road trip, the Spurs have a difficult slate of Western Conference opponents. Included in the bunch are the red-hot Phoenix Suns, defensive-minded Portland Trail Blazers, and Western Conference contenders in the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Spurs will have their work cut out for them, as they will be missing their superstar Victor Wembanyama for the entire trip, as well as [Stephon Castle for the first couple of games](https://airalamo.com/spurs-injury-struggles-increase-with-new-stephon-castle-revelation). With the Spurs being ravaged by injuries, it will be up to the supporting cast to get the job done against this daunting road schedule.
Players such as Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, and De'Aaron Fox will need to make a significant impact if the Spurs want to win any of these crucial games. As we commended the Spurs for their depth in the offseason, it will now be put to the test against a strong batch of teams.
Predicting the outcome of the Spurs upcoming road trip
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With a full squad, winning during this road trip would be a whole lot more feasible. But without the star of the team, things won't be so easy. However, that doesn't mean the Spurs don't stand a chance.
Right off the bat, we can mark off the Denver Nuggets as a loss. Without Victor Wembanyama to help contain Jokic, I don't see a world where [the Spurs can slow](https://airalamo.com/wembanyama-breaking-injury-news-takes-spurs-woes-from-bad-to-worse) that one-man wrecking crew down. Further, the Minnesota Timberwolves present a challenge that may be a bit too fierce for the Spurs. We can mark off another loss here.
However, it starts to get interesting here. Starting with the Phoenix Suns, the Spurs looked lost against them in their last matchup. Yet, there is no reason why they can't beat them in a revenge game. Defending Devin Booker will be a huge challenge without Stephon Castle, but De'Aaron Fox may be able to do enough to get them over the hump. I'll take a gritty Spurs victory in this one.
Lastly, there are the Portland Trail Blazers. The Blazers have been one of the hardest teams to predict in basketball this season. They have handed the Oklahoma City Thunder their only loss, yet have lost some rough ones along the way. Regardless, they are beatable. If Fox and the crew can do enough to penetrate through their tough defense, they have a chance. Coming off a projected win over the Suns, I'll give the Spurs a win here as well.
This will be no simple challenge. Any of these games can result in a win or a loss, but I had to give the squad the benefit of the doubt. What can I say? They have deserved it so far. If the Spurs can keep winning without their stars, their season outlook looks excellent. If not, Wemby will have some work to do when he returns.